Matt Ryan is heading into his sixth season with the Falcons armed with plenty of cash. / Kevin Liles, USA TODAY Sports

by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

Matt Ryan just took a giant leap up the quarterback pay scale, striking a five-year, $103.75 million extension with the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday that makes him the NFL's second-highest paid player, a person with knowledge of the deal told USA TODAY Sports.

No matter that Ryan hasn't even reached a Super Bowl. His new deal - with a $63 million three-year payout that is the most in league history - contains an average salary of $20.75 million that ranks second to the $22 million average garnered by Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers in April. It leapfrogs the $20.1 million average that Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco received with his six-year, $120.6 million deal in March, at the time the biggest deal in NFL history.

Ryan, heading into his sixth season, has $10 million remaining on his rookie contract. With the extension, he's locked up by the Falcons through 2018. The deal guarantees $59 million, second only to the record $60 million in guaranteed money that was included in the five-year, $100 million deal that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees struck last year.

Ryan has indicated for weeks that he wasn't concerned about the negotiations. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff recently told USA TODAY Sports that although there wasn't a firm deadline to get Ryan's deal done, he was hopeful to get the deal completed before the season.